Regulation and function of the mammalian central nervous system is governed by a series of interdependent receptors, neurons, neurotransmitters, and proteins. The neurons play a vital role in this system for, when externally or internally stimulated, they react by releasing neurotransmitters that bind to specific proteins. Common examples of endogenous small molecule neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, adrenaline, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, and gamma-aminobutyric acid are well known, as are the specific receptors that recognize these compounds as ligands (“The Biochemical Basis of Neuropharmacology”, Sixth Edition, Cooper, J. R.; Bloom, F. E.; Roth, R. H. Eds., Oxford University Press, New York, N.Y. 1991).
In addition to the endogenous small molecule neurotransmitters, there is increasing evidence that neuropeptides play an integral role in neuronal operations. Neuropeptides are now believed to be co-localized with perhaps more than one-half of the 100 billion neurons of the human central nervous system. In addition to humans, neuropeptides have been discovered in a number of animal species. In some instances the composition of these peptides is remarkably homogenous among species. This finding suggests that the function of neuropeptides is vital and has been impervious to evolutionary changes. Furthermore, neuropeptides, unlike small molecule neurotransmitters, are typically synthesized by the neuronal ribosome. In some cases, the active neuropeptides are produced as part of a larger protein which is enzymatically processed to yield the active substance. Based upon these differences, compared to small molecule neurotransmitters, neuropeptide-based strategies may offer novel therapies for CNS diseases and disorders. Specifically, agents that affect the binding of neuropeptides to their respective receptors or ameliorate responses that are mediated by neuropeptides are potentially useful in therapies for diseases associated with neuropeptides.
There are a number of afflictions that are associated with the complex interdependent system of receptors and ligands within the central nervous system; these include neurodegenerative diseases, affective disorders such as anxiety, depression, pain and schizophrenia, and affective conditions that include a metabolic component, namely obesity. Such conditions, disorders and diseases have been treated with small molecules and peptides which modulate neuronal responses to endogenous neurotransmitters.
One example of the class of neuropeptides is neuropeptide Y (NPY). NPY was first isolated from porcine brain (Tatemoto, K. et al. Nature 1982, 296, 659) and was shown to be structurally similar to other members of the pancreatic polypeptide (PP) family such as peptide YY, which is primarily synthesized by endocrine cells in the gut, and pancreatic polypeptide, which is synthesized by the pancreas. Neuropeptide Y is a single peptide protein that consists of thirty-six amino acids containing an amidated C-terminus. Like other members of the pancreatic polypeptide family, NPY has a distinctive conformation that consists of an N-terminal polyproline helical region and an amphiphilic α-helix joined by a characteristic PP-fold (Vladimir, S. et. Al. Biochemistry 1990, 20, 4509). Furthermore, NPY sequences from a number of animal species have been elucidated and all show a high degree of amino acid homology to the human protein (>94% in rat, dog, rabbit, pig, cow, sheep) (see Larhammar, D. in “The Biology of Neuropeptide Y and Related Peptides”, Colmers, W. F. and Wahlestedt, C. Eds., Humana Press, Totowa, N.J. 1993).
Endogenous receptor proteins that bind NPY and related peptides as ligands have been identified and distinguished, and several such proteins have been cloned and expressed. Six different receptor subtypes [Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4(PP), Y5, Y6 (formerly designated as a Y5 receptor)] are recognized today based upon binding profile, pharmacology and/or composition if identity is known (Wahlestedt, C. et. al. Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 1990, 611, 7; Larhammar, D. et. al. J. Biol. Chem. 1992, 267, 10935; Wahlestedt, C. et. al. Regul. Pept. 1986, 13, 307; Fuhlendorff, J. U. et. al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 1990, 87, 182; Grundemar, L. et. al. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 1991, 258, 633; Laburthe, M. et. al. Endocrinology 1986, 118, 1910; Castan, I. et. al. Endocrinology 1992, 131, 1970; Gerald, C. et. al. Nature 1996, 382, 168; Weinberg, D. H. et. al. Journal of Biological Chemistry 1996, 271, 16435; Gehlert, D. et. al. Current Pharmaceutical Design 1995, 1, 295; Lundberg, J. M. et. al. Trends in Pharmaceutical Sciences 1996, 17, 301). Most and perhaps all NPY receptor proteins belong to the family of so-called G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). The neuropeptide Y5 receptor, a putative GPCR, is negatively coupled to cellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels via the action of adenylate cyclase (Gerald, C. et. al. Nature 1996, 382, 168; Gerald, C. et. al. PCT WO 96/16542). For example, NPY inhibits forskolin-stimulated cAMP production/levels in a neuroblastoma cell line. A Y5 ligand that mimics NPY in this fashion is an agonist whereas one that competitively reverses the NPY inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cAMP production is an antagonist.
Neuropeptide Y itself is the archetypal substrate for the NPY receptors and its binding can elicit a variety of pharmacological and biological effects in vitro and in vivo. When administered to the brain of live animals (intracerebroventricularly (icv) or into the amygdala), NPY produces anxiolytic effects in established animal models of anxiety such as the elevated plus-maze, Vogel punished drinking and Geller-Seifter's bar-pressing conflict paradigms (Heilig, M. et. al. Psychopharmacology 1989, 98, 524; Heilig, M. et. al. Reg. Peptides 1992, 41, 61; Heilig, M. et. al. Neuropsycho-pharmacology 1993, 8, 357). Thus compounds that mimic NPY are postulated to be useful for the treatment of anxiolytic disorders.
The immunoreactivity of neuropeptide Y is notably decreased in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with major depression and those of suicide victims (Widdowson, P. S. et. al. Journal of Neurochemistry 1992, 59, 73), and rats treated with tricyclic antidepressants display significant increases of NPY relative to a control group (Heilig, M. et. al. European Journal of Pharmacology 1988, 147, 465). These findings suggest that an inadequate NPY response may play a role in some depressive illnesses, and that compounds that regulate the NPY-ergic system may be useful for the treatment of depression.
Neuropeptide Y improves memory and performance scores in animal models of learning (Flood, J. F. et. al. Brain Research 1987, 421, 280) and therefore may serve as a cognition enhancer for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD) as well as AIDS-related and senile dementia.
Elevated plasma levels of NPY are present in animals and humans experiencing episodes of high sympathetic nerve activity such as surgery, newborn delivery and hemorrhage (Morris, M. J. et. al. Journal of Autonomic Nervous System 1986, 17, 143). Thus chemical substances that alter the NPY-ergic system may be useful for alleviating the condition of stress.
Neuropeptide Y also mediates endocrine functions such as the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) in rodents (Kalra, S. P. et. al. Frontiers in Neuroendrocrinology 1992, 13, 1). Since LH is vital for mammalian ovulation, a compound that mimics the action of NPY could be useful for the treatment of infertility, particularly in women with so-called luteal phase defects.
Neuropeptide Y is a powerful stimulant of food intake; as little as one-billionth of a gram, when injected directly into the CNS, causes satiated rats to overeat (Clark, J. T. et. al. Endocrinology 1984, 115, 427; Levine, A. S. et. al. Peptides 1984, 5, 1025; Stanley, B. G. et. al. Life Sci. 1984, 35, 2635; Stanley, B. G. et. al. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 1985, 82, 3940). Thus NPY is orexigenic in rodents but not anxiogenic when given intracerebroventricularly and so antagonism of neuropeptide receptors may be useful for the treatment of eating disorders such as obesity, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
In recent years, a variety of potent, structurally distinct small molecule Y1 antagonists has been discovered and developed (Hipskind, P. A. et. al. Annu. Rep. Med. Chem. 1996, 31, 1-10; Rudolf, K. et. al. Eur. J. Pharmacol. 1994, 271, R11; Serradeil-Le Gal, C. et. al. FEBS Lett. 1995, 362, 192; Wright, J. et. al. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 1996, 6, 1809; Poindexter, G. S. et. al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,151; Peterson, J. M. et. al. WO9614307 (1996)). However, despite claims of activity in rodent models of feeding, it is unclear if inhibition of a feeding response can be solely attributed to antagonism of the Y1 receptor.
Several landmark studies suggest that an “atypical Y1” receptor and/or the Y5 receptor, rather than the classic Y1 receptor, is responsible for invoking NPY-stimulated food consumption in animals. It has been shown that the NPY fragment NPY2-36 is a potent inducer of feeding despite poor binding at the classic Y1 receptor (Stanley, B. G. et. al. Peptides 1992, 13, 581). Conversely, a potent and selective Y1 agonist has been reported to be inactive at stimulating feeding in animals (Kirby, D. A. et. al. J. Med. Chem. 1995, 38, 4579). More pertinent to the invention described herein, [D-Trp32]NPY, a selective Y5 receptor activator has been reported to stimulate food intake when injected into the hypothalamus of rats (Gerald, C. et. al. Nature 1996, 362, 168). Since [D-Trp32]NPY appears to be a full agonist of the Y5 receptor with no appreciable Y1 activity, the Y5 receptor is hypothesized to be responsible for the feeding response. Accordingly compounds that antagonize the Y5 receptor should be effective in inhibiting food intake, particularly that stimulated by NPY.
Certain arylsulfonamides that act as Y5 antagonists are known in the prior art. In PCT WO 97/19682, aryl sulfonamides and sulfamides derived from arylalkylamines are described as Y5 antagonists and are reported to reduce food consumption in animals. In PCT WO 97/20820, PCT WO 97/20822 and PCT WO 97/20823, sulfonamides containing heterocyclic systems such as quinazolin-2,4-diazirines, are likewise claimed as Y5 antagonists and reported to reduce feeding. In WO 98/35957, various amide derivatives, including those that contain a benzimidazolinone group are claimed to be neuropeptide Y receptor antagonists. However, none of these compounds known in the prior art contain the amidine ring system present in the compounds of this invention. The cyclic amidino sulfonamides and amidino benzimidazolinones and amidino arylpiperazines described in this application are novel molecular entities that may have binding motifs that are different from Y5 receptor ligands that have been disclosed in prior publications, and yet bind to a similar region of the Y5 receptor. In addition to exhibiting an affinity for the neuropeptide Y5 receptor, the compounds of this invention may also produce pharmacological and biological responses that are, in part or wholly, due to activation or antagonism of other Y receptor subtypes (e.g., Y1, Y2, Y4).